


The Wolf Boy and the Young Detective

by mjinxlei



Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Detective, Detective AU, Detective Riku, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Murder Mystery, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Wolf Boy Iori, more tags soon I promise, wolf boy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:02:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22033003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mjinxlei/pseuds/mjinxlei
Summary: They're here - the rumored boy detectives~Izumi Iori was raised by feral wolves as a kid, but now living peacefully in human society. Or as peaceful as he could get, since he's stuck with a crime-solving nut who has a penchant for trouble. Nanase Riku is an eccentric young man -  cheerful, cute and exceedingly clumsy, but also full of courage, very clever and extremely capable. More than once, Iori wondered what goes inside that captivating mind of his, why he felt like all the answers will somehow make their way into his hands. As long as Iori keeps him safe, that is. Good thing he had super human strength and speed, alongside hypersensitive senses. Too bad he takes commands like a good canine, something Riku takes full advantage of.Murders, thefts, secrets - the truth will be revealed when the Wolf Boy and the Young Detective are on the hunt!
Relationships: Izumi Iori/Nanase Riku, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 35





	The Wolf Boy and the Young Detective

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to another of my RikuIo/IoRiku AUs!
> 
> I really like the idea of the TV show in the game and as a lover and writer of detective fiction, I just HAD to give it my own spin. Plus, Iori taking the role of a feral boy never fails to crack me up.
> 
> And yes, everyone in the show will appear in this fic, just be patient~

~

_“It’s gone!”_

A strangled yell cut through the silence, but it was only momentary. The shout spread like wildfire and soon shocked shrieks, strangled cries and rapid chatter from the assembled audience echoed in response. Everyone focused their sights on the empty glass case, the scarlet curtain covering it held above by a wide-eyed distraught butler. No one was more distraught than the butler’s master however, who sweated profusely despite the cold-airconditioned environment.

The stout master – named Hagakure Takaya – almost crashed into the ground in despair. His fat legs giving out, the bald and obese man’s eyeballs looked like it would pop out in a second. “But h-how… M-my Wolf’s Eye…”

As expected, the people crowded over the gaudily dressed man, pointing on the case and mentioning the many security mechanisms that were in place. The treasure was isolated this entire time by a four-corner rope barrier and then flanked by guards on all sides. Everyone saw it placed on the glass case just a few hour ago! How could it suddenly disappear?

The guards looked as perplexed as the gathering audience. They were police officers that were assigned to protect Hagakure-san’s valuable diamond, known as the “Wolf’s Eye”, after said owner received threats of possible theft. Of course, the Tokyo Metropolitan Force was in the case and their staff were quickly dispatched to Hagakure-san’s private yacht, where he will be unveiling the precious jewel. Now in the aforementioned ship with a robbery right under their nose, they were naturally stumped.

Fortunately, they had a reliable superior in the scene. “Everybody calm down,” bellowed Inspector Futada Toishi, his fat belly wobbling as he walked towards the scene of crime in indignation.

The sight of the expert from the police force gave some semblance of hope to Hagakure-san. “Inspector!” he cried, his hands on the edges of the cop’s jacket. “Please tell me who took my Wolf’s Eye?!”

“Of course,” said Inspector Futada, his brown and bushy walrus-like moustache bristling, as if reprimanding the bald man at doubting his skills. “Why, this is a simple case – the culprit is no other than the _Pink Anemone!_ ”

The Inspector’s declaration was met by more astounded cries. The Pink Anemone – Japan’s most famous and elusive phantom thief – was here? Well, it definitely sounds like him – he was always on the hunt for valuable treasure and this lovely diamond called the Wolf’s Eye should definitely be on his list, right?

The inspector looked pleased at the reception of his deduction, but his grin quickly disappeared upon hearing a voice above the crowd’s noise.

“The Pink Anemone, really?” The voice was that of a young, probably adolescent male, but there was a musing lilt in his tone that caught everyone’s attention. “Shouldn’t there be a card then?”

At this, the crowd shifted once more. Pink Anemone’s modus operandi always included sending a card to his victim before the robbery! He was known as the modern gentleman thief, after all. But no such thing happened to Hagakure-san, right? At least if it had occurred, it will be all over the news!

“ _Grk!_ ” Inspector Futada looked incensed at this deduction being shot out of the air in an instant. He puffed, trying to look more formidable, but ended up looking like brown-haired panda fresh from the concrete jungle. “Who’s talking? Show yourself!”

“Fu fu~” A snicker came from the audience, who parted like the Red Sea to make way for the voice’s owner.

A second, deeper yet still young voice sighed. “Try not to overexert yourself this time, okay?”

“Oh, you worry too much, Iori~”

Two young males – probably of high school age – stepped out of the crowd. One of them had dark hair, the bangs on the side of his head styled like droopy canine ears. He was dressed normally in a dark blue shirt and plain blue pants, with an orange scarf tied to his right arm and a collar on his neck. He had a cold and stoic, if not overly serious countenance, like he had matured early in order to survive. What was more chilling was this feral aura he had, eyeing everyone warily like an alpha wolf protecting his young. No one would meet his silver-colored gaze, as if fearful that he would suddenly turn wild on them.

The other person of the pair was as completely opposite as possible. He had bright red hair, crimson-colored eyes over a pair of glasses and an easy-going and carefree smile. He wore a green long-sleeved jacket over an orange hoodie tucked inside a pair of pants that looked similar to that of his companion’s. A messenger bag was slung over his right shoulder, filled to the brim with strawberry-flavored donuts, for some reason. He looked excessively cheerful, like something good recently happened to him. Or maybe that was just his overall air? Just like the wolf-like boy, this person exuded an extremely confusing aura.

Inspector Futada took an immediate dislike to them. “And you boys are?”

“Nanase Riku!” declared the redhead, grinning like his birthday had come early. “Nineteen years old, fresh high school grad, favorite food is omelet rice. And strawberry donuts, I love ‘em on the go.”

The dark-haired boy sighed in frustration, looking exhausted at the bizarre situation he was currently in. “Izumi Iori,” he introduced himself curtly.

“And we are~” announced Riku, twirling around and opening his arms like he was presenting themselves in the middle of an idol concert. “The rumored Wolf Boy and Young Detective!”

~

Within a minute and a half, Riku and Iori were thrown out of the party hall. The officers tried not to be rough on them, especially with Iori, who looked like he’d bite their arms off if they came anywhere close. Fortunately, once they escorted the “Young Detective” out of the premises, the “Wolf Boy” dutifully followed.

“Boo,” pouted Riku, while Iori was busy giving death glares on the terrified cops guarding the entrance. “They didn’t believe us at all.”

“Maybe we should leave this case to the police?” asked Iori in a hopeful tone, now fussing over Riku, making sure he wasn’t hurt at all. He had no intention helping out anyone who’d potentially bring harm to Riku, especially if it was the ungrateful inspector and his cops. The _Pink Anemone_ seriously – their eyes were so blind they couldn’t even see what was in front of them.

“Of course not,” said Riku stubbornly though, taking out a pencil and a dilapidated brown notebook from his bag. As he walked, he started writing on it, but not before he popped a donut on his mouth and started chewing. “Themfmebfostwidfoufuz.”

“Don’t speak while you’re eating, please,” reprimanded Iori softly, following the redhead closely while taking out a handkerchief from one of his pockets and wiping crumbs off Riku’s face. “Really, I’m the one who was raised by wolves, but you’ve got worse table manners.”

“Manners schwammers,” quipped Riku, swallowing everything in one gulp. All throughout, he was furiously writing, focusing on his thoughts, a manic glint on his eyes that Iori knew meant nothing but trouble. “So we’re looking for a diamond. How big do you think it’d be, Iori?”

Iori crossed his arms. “Guessing from the size of the case it was supposed to be in, around as big as a small child’s?”

“Ooh, that’s pretty big, but it’s something you can hide in one hand, right?”

“If it’s me, then yes,” replied Iori, looking at his rather large paws. Nope, that would be hands, he corrected himself instantly.

“As expected of my partner,” said Riku, turning to Iori with a happy child-like grin. The dark-haired boy tried to stifle the butterflies in his stomach – how can someone look so effing adorable, he thought. “Your keen eyesight is always helpful~”

“Glad to be of assistance,” responded Iori a bit bluntly. His “partner” only ever complimented him of his overly animal-like capabilities. Not that he minded being useful to Riku, but he was hoping he’d get praise for his cooking, his cleaning or the fact that he’d been single-handedly taking care of the redhead for this past three months? Yes, a little gratitude would go a long way.

“Let’s review the facts of the case then!” stated Riku cheerfully, flipping the small pages on his well-thumbed notebook. Right, Iori was talking about this problem-solving nut, who only ever showed interest and enthusiasm when dealing with crime. How did he end up with this guy again?

There was no time for recollection though, since Riku started walking more purposefully on the lobby. Iori quickly followed suit, afraid at what could possibly happen if he let the guy run free. “First, our victim this time is Takaya Hagakure. What do you think of him, Iori?”

Iori tried not to roll his eyes in extreme frustration, but ultimately failed. “We’re doing this? Seriously? Aren’t we supposed to be in vacation?”

“What’s more exciting than a mysterious gem robbery in the middle of the sparkling sea?” Riku looked up to him with shining eyes, like a kindergartener that discovered a secret stash of candy.

“I shouldn’t have bought that King Pudding for Yotsuba-san,” said Iori, immersed in deep regret. He can still remember the series of events that led to him and Riku being stranded in a private yacht.

Tamaki Yotsuba was Iori’s classmate in high school, a lazy slacker with an extreme fascination over these desserts called King Pudding. To silence the wailing idiot, Iori decided to buy him one during lunch, wondering all the way how many sins he accumulated in his past life to suffer amongst needy brats who couldn’t take care of themselves. He had no escape even in his Riku-less school life.

As it is, King Pudding was only sold at the convenience stores outside of the campus, so Iori had to scale the walls and jump out. Technically, it was impossible for an ordinary eighteen-year old teenager, but he didn’t belong to that specific category. Since it was closer, Iori decided to head into the shopping district where Riku “worked”.

And alas, who did he meet in the area, just when he just finished Tamaki’s errand? The same Riku, poring over some kind of lottery. Actually, he was staring so intently that he was freaking out the stand’s owner. Used to the guy’s eccentric antics, Iori came to the rescue. According to Riku, the lottery box was rigged. Of course, it caught the ire of the owner, but the conning was quickly proven when Riku predicted the next dozen balls that would come out. He deduced that a mechanism was being controlled by the conman’s partner in the watch repair booth across him. He was controlling the results by looking at how many times and which eyebrow of the lottery stall minder twitches. And as expected, the partner – the crafty watch repairman, who had a thing for tinkering cheating devices while coincidentally losing his entire fortune on gambling – tried to make a run for it, but was quickly apprehended by Iori’s nimble form, commanded by Riku with a simple “Iori, fetch!”. He was extremely seething about that and might’ve handled the two conmen a little roughly that they were reduced to tears and welcomed the cops with open arms.

The entire shopping district were grateful for their efforts and gave the two free tickets to a weekend getaway cruise. That would be lovely of course, if not for Riku getting lost and then swept by the crowd into Hagakure-san’s private ship instead. Iori had to “jump” ship – literally!

Iori was still pleased at how he crossed almost twelve feet of air in one leap, especially since he was out of practice. He was less pleased about ending up with a case in their hands, though. He sighed, cursing the tragic life he’d been leading. “What do we do now?”

Riku had placed his notebook back on his bag, turning on his heels to face Iori, now walking backwards. “I’d like to talk to Hagakure-san.”

Iori raised an eyebrow – he might not be as sharp as Riku, but he also knew a few tricks about crime-solving himself. “Shouldn’t we check the crime scene first?”

“Nah, I already got all the information I needed there,” announced Riku, a grin on his face. “First of all, the exterior of the case was wet and, ooof-”

“Careful!” yelled Iori but it was already too late. A uniformed maid was coming from the corner and collided with Riku, who was definitely not looking straight ahead. The impact had both people massaging their butts on the ground and a basket upturned, its many contents spreading all over the carpeted floor.

Iori quickly went to help Riku, who looked unharmed but very apologetic to the maid. “I’m really sorry about that.”

The two boys quickly collected the items on the ground, which turned out to be trash. A half-eaten apple, some soda cans of various brands, a bottle of aspirin, a half-empty pack of absurdly large mothballs, crumpled pieces of paper, empty perfume bottles of assorted colors and sizes…

Seeing that they were almost done, Iori left Riku to it and turned to assist the maid, who was trying to stand up from the ground. “Are you okay?” he asked, as he offered his arm.

“I-I’m fine,” said the maid in a high-pitched voice, taking the young man’s arm and wincing a little as she stood on her black high heels. She kept her head down, bowing so low that all Iori could see was her the top of shoulder-length brown hair.

“Got everything back in the waste basket,” stated Riku like a kid waiting for praise, as if he wasn’t the reason why the contents were spilled in the first place. “On trash duty, right?”

“Y-yes, thanks.” The maid took the waste basket, which was made of some kind of soft wood. She briefly looked over the contents, bowed lower than ever at the boys and then quickly left. The two watched her go, wobbling a little with each step.

“I smell something awful,” commented Iori, wrinkling his hypersensitive nose.

“Must be smoke from the maid’s clothes. They must have been tending to the barbecue,” stated Riku in a contemplative sort of voice.

“Was there barbecue in the menu?” asked Iori, following Riku, who was now going towards the direction the maid came from. “I didn’t see any in the dinner table.”

“One more thing to ask Hagakure-san,” concluded Riku. Iori wondered if that was such an important query.

As it is, there was one more thing on Iori’s mind. “How will you talk to him though? It doesn’t look like the police would let us in again.”

“Ah, Hagakure-san would be on his room right now.”

“Huh? How did you know that?”

“When we were leaving,” stated Riku as if they left on their own volition and not dragged away by the cops. “I saw the butler assist his master, who was violently coughing. The Inspector would have dismissed them after us. Speaking of which…”

Iori followed Riku’s gaze and found the very butler they had just mentioned. He looked a bit busy, walking while scribbling on a thick schedule book, uncannily similar to what Riku had just been doing a while ago. The redhead acted immediately. “Excuse me, Butler-san!”

A bit spooked at being disturbed, the butler looked at the approaching kids warily. “Aren’t you those boys that made the ruckus in the party hall? Aren’t you too old to be playing make-believe?”

Iori instantly disliked the man. He looked around his early twenties, with carefully combed violet hair and calm blue eyes. The butler was dressed in a sleek black garb, complementing the same Western aesthetic as the maid they just bumped into. He was definitely an attractive sight, but Iori reminded him of those clingy men in the host club near their place, what with the pierced ears, the golden chain necklace and the luxury brand watch, probably goaded from some naïve women. To Iori’s irritation, said hosts always wolf-whistled and made kissing noises whenever the two boys were gathered. As such, the butler was instantly written in Iori’s naughty list. “Why are you blaming us for the wasted night? It wasn’t our fault your stupid jewel got stolen.”

“Iori, stay~” said Riku in a sing-song voice and Iori’s animal instinct quickly registered the command. He went frigidly still, catching amused glances from the butler, just after he shook himself out of his reverie. Now, Iori hated the man more.

“Haha, you’ve got the wild boy tamed, huh,” stated the butler, looking at the eagerly excited Riku in a new light. “You caught my interest, so sure, let’s talk.”

Iori growled, so feral-sounding that the butler jumped. Riku did not even flinch, however. “So, does your master have a lung condition? Could it be asthma?”

The butler jumped for a different kind of reason. Wide-eyed, he stared at the young redhead. “H-how the hell did you know that?”

“Just a lucky guess,” replied Riku with a disarming smile. “So, how long have you been serving him? I’m thinking around almost three years?”

Spooked again, the butler decided to bolt it, but Iori was now guarding his only exit. Wisely he decided to respond to Riku’s question, looking more like a nervous wreck the more time he spent with the youths. “Y-yes, that’s right. A-are you some kind of mind reader?”

Riku giggled – an innocent sound but it was also kind of menacing somehow. “Nothing fancy like that. I’m just observant.”

The butler was not convinced, so Riku opted to explain himself. “I knew you’ve been serving him quite long because your schedule book was almost filled in.” The man took a look at what he was holding and he was indeed almost at the end. “Taking a look at the thickness, I’d say its around five hundred pages. If the front and back page each represents a day, that’s around a thousand days, so three years is as good a guess as any.”

At this, the butler laughed, looking instantly amused. It was as if his anxiety was gone in an instant. “I yield, you could be better than that walrus inspector. I’m guessing you want to speak to my master then?”

Riku’s smile was as bright as ever. “You’d let me? How kind of you, Butler-san.”

The butler looked charmed at the adorableness of the kid before him, but managed to hold back from touching him. He felt like his arm would get torn off if he does, judging from the murderous aura from the other boy. Deciding that his limbs were more valuable, he turned his heel and headed for his master’s room. “You can call me Kaito-san. And it’s no trouble, I think my master would be glad to hear your opinion on this predicament we’re currently in.”

The detective and his partner fell into step with the man. “You don’t look too troubled, Kaito-san,” observed Riku. “I guess you don’t like your master that much?”

“Smart kid,” commented Kaito. “Yeah, Hagakuro-san won’t win any awards for Best Boss of the Year.”

“But you’re still working for him? How curious.”

“You’ll understand the woes of the harsh adult world soon,” said Kaito in a matter-of-fact way.

“Can you tell me more about the Wolf’s Eye?” Riku was as eager as a kid asking for a bedtime story. “It was found in some kind of island in the Pacific, right?”

“Yep, people say it came from Yamashita’s hidden treasure,” narrated Kaito. “You boys know anything about it?”

“The legendary loot stolen by Imperial Japanese forces from Southeast Asian countries,” answered Iori, sounding like a textbook the more he spoke. “Supposedly taken by force by General Tomoyuki Yamashita, it was transported to the Philippines before it would be sent to Japan. However, World War II ended before the treasure was moved, so they said Yamashita-san hid the treasure all over the Pacific.”

“Right,” said Kaito, twirling his fingers as if spinning a wonderful tale. “Well, there’s this legend in a village in the Philippines, saying that there was once was this great powerful wolf that lived there. Said to be the leader of the beasts in the area. It was the size of a house, had fangs that were are sharp as silver, golden fur that glistened under the moonlight and eyes that shone like pearly stars in the sky.”

“That’s an extremely wealthy wolf,” remarked Riku.

“And extremely hungry. It and its kin preyed on the humans until a hero slew the beast. He cleaved the wolf apart and shared the spoils to everyone who helped him along the way. Everyone became rich that way.”

“So typical for humans to kill beasts due to greed,” commented Iori.

“You’re a human too, you know,” said the butler, a bit confused. “Anyway, this village got the Wolf’s Eye and was keeping it as some kind of prized artifact. Of course, until Yamashita came in, ransacked the place and took off with the jewel. That’s how it got into Yamashita’s hoard.”

“Interesting,” quipped Riku, but he didn’t look appeased, even more impatient than ever. Iori knew this look – the butler never answered his question, after all. Still, the redhead was unflinchingly polite, despite the blatant need for more information. “But how did Hagakure-san end up with it?”

Kaito grinned, stopping in front of a lavishly-looking door. “I’ll let my master do the talking – it’s his tale after all.”

The butler immediately knocked on the door. “Hagakure-sama, it’s Kaito. Are you awake?”

There was no response from inside the room. But there was some kind of swishing sound, like something was spraying all over the place.

“Water!” cried out Riku, jumping away from the liquid that pooled in front of the door.

Kaito was panic-stricken. He kept on furiously knocking on the door, uncaring that his shiny and expensive-looking black shoes were being soiled. “Hagakure-sama! Hagakure-sama! Are you all right, Hagakure-sama?!”

“Out of the way,” bellowed Iori and the butler quickly ran out of the feral boy’s path. The dark-haired teenager sped towards the door and tackled it with his body. Kaito shrieked like a high-pitched girl when the thick door crumpled like flimsy paper against Iori’s weight.

“Whoa, what’s with this fog? Steam?” Riku was lost in an instant at the wisps of strange-smelling smoke that streamed out of the room.

“The emergency sprinkler is turned on,” observed Iori, standing up from where the pieces of wood that used to be the door laid. He was quickly being soaked by the water sprayed from the ceiling.

Kaito rushed into the room, not minding the ongoing rain inside. “Where’s the master?”

The steam soon dissipated and with it, visibility had improved. What was once the front door led to a gaudy reception area, with expensive sofas, tables and other furniture. Nothing was amiss, aside from the sprinkler showering over Iori and Kaito. Only Riku was dry, standing outside the room, looking around with sharp and calculating eyes.

Despite being drenched from head to foot, the butler moved, taking the door to the left. Now cold and trembling, Iori decided to stay where he was. Soon, a very concerned Kaito came out back again, before turning towards the right door next. He opened it, took one hesitant step, gasped in shock and fell into his knees. “No…”

At that moment, the sprinkler decided it was done for the day and suddenly stopped.

Riku went inside the room with a grave face and Iori followed without a word. He knew that look on Riku’s face and it did not bode well. The two boys stepped toward the right door, moving across the despairing butler and into what could be the master’s bedroom.

It was spacious and was as gaudily decorated as the living room they left behind. A door further on the right was opened, leading to a well-lit bathroom. Everything was wet – the sprinkler on the bedroom must have been activated, too. But aside from the transparent liquid, there was one more – red and opaque.

Laid on the bed was the Takaya Hagakure, still dressed on the tuxedo he wore in the party hall just minutes ago. But unlike the wailing man from before, not a single sound will be heard from him anymore. For his face was etched in painful agony and his left eye bulged more than ever. On the other one, a sharp object was drilled into it, spreading blood all over his face.

Takaya Hagakure, owner of the missing Wolf’s Eye, was dead.

Iori looked a bit disgusted, but was still as calm as the placid sea. “What a horrible way to go.”

“So this wasn’t just a simple case of theft,” said Riku, his eyes shining, but there was no trace of his usual eagerness and casualness. “Turns out I’m after a murderer.”

Beside the two serene teens, the only adult in the room was ironically sobbing uncontrollably. “Ha-hagakure-sama, why, who-who did this to you…”

“Leave it to us, Kaito-san,” declared Riku, returning to his usual cheerful self as he regarded the openly despairing butler. “The rumored Wolf Boy and Young Detective will bring back the smiles of the people inside this lovely ship.”

Iori nodded as Riku turned to him, grinning confidently. “Well, Iori, looks like we’re on a _hunt_ ~”

~

UP NEXT: The Missing Eye Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Google Yamashita's Treasure - it's (supposedly) real. The wolf legend is made-up, though.
> 
> I decided to start with our detective boys in the middle of a case, with the backstory peppered among the cases. I think it flows more naturally this way~
> 
> As this is the first case, it's a bit simple. I think the culprit is pretty clear, the identity not so much. There's a lot of clues though!
> 
> Anyway, the second part will be posted soon! Think of it as a two-parter debut episode of the in-game TV show, lol.
> 
> P.S. Those who knew my Mermaid AU, it's still alive, so it'll be updated soon~


End file.
